The Springs of Saturnia
by The Psychotic One
Summary: Did you know, Nuada, that in ancient times, there was a hot spring called Saturnia? The Romans and Etruscans, at constant war, would peacefully lay down their weapons and bathe in the supposed healing waters. Maybe sometime you should try that too. N/OC
1. Rehabilitation

**A/N:** Could this possibly be my first attempt at writing again in forever? Jesus Christ. Well I resolved to get a few chapters done first before posting it, but nonetheless, I'm a little nervous. People are still as wary of OC stories as they ever were, and I understand that, but I hope to God this works. Anyway, this first chapter is really more of a prologue, a pilot chapter if you will. It's also more focused on the movie-line, as opposed to the comics. That being said, enjoy.

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Crack! Fizzzzz…..

The sound echoed through the halls as ex-agent Hellboy cracked open another beer. He'd already gone through two since he stepped out. He remembered a time when he would have blown a hole through the wall on his way to the exit, but he remembered that he had actually paid for this door – as much as he wanted to, he couldn't.

"We quit. End of story. We said we quit and that meant that we weren't coming back."

"Please Agent Sherman, you have to understand –"

"I said no. We're not agents anymore. And I'm too far along, if you haven't fucking noticed."

"Then just Agent Hellboy, please –"

"We said no, dammit!"

He hated being called Agent Hellboy. There was something about the way Liz called him Red that just fit, made something in his general chest area flip. She was one of the only people who knew his real name too – Anung nun Rama – but she never called him that either, he hated it just as much. Red suited him just fine – especially the way she whispered it to him.

She was five months pregnant, the twins growing healthily and happily, "cooking away" as they liked to refer to it. They had started kicking and Red only admitted to himself that he enjoyed nothing more than to feel tiny feet or tiny fists kicking against his hand.

It was for Liz and for the children that Red had generally stopped drinking. Liz had stated that she didn't mind it so much, that she accepted him however he was, but it wasn't fun to drink alone, and Abe still couldn't live down the fact that, the last time he had been inebriated, he had failed to save the one person he loved.

"And leave Abe alone too. He quit too and he wants just as much to do with you guys as we do – nothing."

"But Agent Sapien would be invaluable to us in this as well, please at least let us –"

"Forget it!"

Thankfully, Abe wasn't present to be flustered by the conversation held in the dining room, the door of which Red leaned against, if only to hear Liz school the damned agents sent to them from the B.P.R.D. in New York. The blue amphibian in question was probably floating somewhere in the Port Angeles Harbor – the lucky bastard. He spent a lot of time swimming by himself since the Golden Army Incident – the G.A.I. as it was occasionally referred to, or once when Red was in the particular mood, the Triumph over His Royal Silverlance-Up-His-Ass. That was one that, while it flustered Abe, made Liz hide her face with her hands to stifle a snort.

They had found the perfect place to live – a nice plot of land right outside of Port Angeles, Washington. It was beautiful – their front yard was rolling plains, though technically they really only owned about ten or twelve acres of land, and their back yard edged close to the woods that encircled the base of the Olympic Mountains. It was refreshing, freeing, and plenty of space for himself, Liz, Abe, children, visitors such as Krauss when he wasn't in Washington or his hometown in Germany, and the fifteen cats he simply could not live without.

He loved their house too – the previous tenants had taken good care of it, and not only that, but had previously been agents in the B.P.R.D. in the Seattle branch. Acquaintances of Manning, actually, which made it that much easier to acquire. And it was a lovely house, too – a two-story, pacific lodge-style home customary to the earthy surroundings. They all loved the house. It was roomy enough that everyone could coexist in peace, much more space than those damn dorms in the deep levels of the B.P.R.D.

"Look, we're not doing anything for you guys. Just leave already."

"Can we at least explain the situation? It concerns you more than you know."

"You have five seconds."

Five seconds – that was pretty generous for Liz. The pregnancy must have been messing with her hormones again.

"We have two people in our custody in need of rehabilitation."

"What the hell do you mean by that? Do we look like doctors to you?"

"We tried everything we could, but you three are the ones that are the most familiar to them. We think that you are the ones that could help them the most."

"… what are you saying?"

Red stopped to think about what the B.P.R.D. agent said, running through his mind all the people they knew. The list wasn't very long, but no names stood out, no one dysfunctional enough to need their help or "rehabilitation."

"How can I put this delicately… I know this may sound unreasonable, but we're more than ready to fund their stay here, and any problems that might occur. Despite past occurrences, we're more than sure they'd trust you before any of us. If the records were correct, Abe should be very helpful to them as well, at least one of them."

"Wait a minute… who is they?"

The son of the Fallen One closed his eyes tightly, trying to imagine who could the B.P.R.D. would send to them, why Abe would be so helpful, why –

_"Oh, Abe… You fell for the Princess?"_

Oh, HELL no.

And by the sound of the gasp, Liz had figured it out too.

Red slammed the door open, tossing his now empty beer can to the side, almost seeing sparks from the rage that spread through him like a wildfire. In the dining room, sparsely decorated in favor of the simplicity of the cedar-wood walls, two people sat at the table – Liz at one end, pale-white to the dark roots of her hairline and clutching her stomach and her heart, trying to keep from overstressing, and a gangly, black-suited B.P.R.D. lackey at the other, a sickly yellow color to his skin with cropped dark hair and dark eyes hidden behind thick-lens glasses, eyes that were looking at him with fear of what Red could do to him.

"No."

"Please, Agent, there's no one else that can help them."

"Screw you."

"We'll do anything you ask, please, they have nowhere to go."

"I don't mind the Princess so much, but if I have to deal with that bastard again, I will tear him limb from limb."

"Agent Hellboy, you three could rehabilitate them, you can reach them in a way that we can't. They could bring about the support of the Elves and Trolls and various other paranormal peoples in a way that we never could. In the future, this could benefit everyone in too many ways to overlook!"

"The bastard will set my house on fire. Do you know how much that would cost us? Liz is pregnant if you haven't noticed! How are we supposed to raise a family around them?"

"I assure you, it would only be temporary, just until they are rehabilitated."

"What the hell does rehabilitated mean anyway?"

The agent shifted visibly, sweating somewhat under the glare of the dining room light. Red continued to glare. He hoped the little shit sweated a river. He hoped the douche saw his glare in his nightmares. Damn that bastard – if he sent Liz into early labor with this, God help the man, because Red would make sure they couldn't find his remains.

"We were hoping that you could help… Prince Nuada and Princess Nuala…" He seemed to pale a little more in mentioning their names, "In learning about the human race, introducing them more into our society, helping them cope with living again. If they can reach a state where we can reason with them, they would be valuable assets to the peace between the humans and the paranormal, especially since the resignation of four of our greatest agents for decades."

For a second, it had been as if Red had been taken back several months when it had all happened, but he quickly shoved the memories aside – it didn't well to stay in the past, when there were so many things that needed to be resolved in the present.

"Stop. Just stop. Explain how they're even alive? Didn't they turn into some weird statues or something?"

At this point, the agent began looking through some files, explaining some mumbo-jumbo about how government specialists had performed some feat of DNA restructuring, some more science bullshit that he didn't really even pay attention to really, it was just to delay the need for a decision, really. He got the general gist of how they were back – the B.P.R.D. got government clearance to work its magical wonders and tinker around with Life and Death again.

"Since the initial reanimation, they've been in a slight state of shock, and there's really no one else who could help them the way you could."

"If we do this, and they are rehabilitated, will you all leave us alone?"

Liz, who previously had been silent, trying to restrain herself from spontaneously combusting – the babies seemed to be unharmed by her bouts of flame but they still didn't want to take a chance – spoke up now, her face having regained some color and her breathing having slowed to a more normal pace. Her dark eyes were narrowed, peering at the agent like a hawk, waiting for him to slip up. Red quashed his surprise in favor of mirroring her scrutiny towards the little man on the end of the table.

The agent felt the weight of two pairs of eyes on him, like lead weights pulling him to the floor. The B.P.R.D. had known that this would arise, and had been fully prepared to answer on behalf of the governmental department. However, the nervousness he'd managed to put off was kicking in, and he felt himself sweating rivers.

"… Yes. Unless you three choose to return to the bureau, we will leave you to your own business after this."

Red and Liz exchanged looks, contemplating the offer. Liz's hand went back to her round belly, rubbing it softly out of subconscious maternal instinct. God, how they wanted to say no. God, how they wanted to tell the pest to piss off, to shove it up his ass.

Whatever prompted Red to finally agree to the terms, nobody in the room was completely sure. All they knew was that for a yet undetermined time, they would be playing host and probably shrink to two people who had previously almost brought the world to its knees.

Well, at least Abe would be thrilled.

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**A/N**: Coolness. I'm back. It's a nice refreshing feeling. That aside, please review ^_^ Constructive criticisms are what I want the most, but really any feedback is appreciated.

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One


	2. Resurrection

A/N: So here it is, my second chapter ^_^ I posted it a little early than I had planned because, quite frankly, i couldn't resist. This chapter delves some into one of our two protagonists, the anti-hero of the two. Sah-weet. I personally enjoyed delving into Nuada's character, and I hope you guys enjoy it. No OC in this chapter yet. I'm building up, you guys. Bear with me ^_^ Timing is crucial.

I completely forgot about disclaimer stuff, so I'll get this out of the way and have it cover for the entire story, because quite frankly, I'm lazy in that aspect. That being said, I don't own anything you recognize. The only thing that belongs to me is my OC and whatever i decide to toss in there sheerly for my writing pleasure and your reading enjoyment.

Enjoy ^_^

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Fear.

That was what they treated him with.

Nuada remained stationary in the chair in the corner of his room – a dull, barren, grey square that contained nothing more than a chair, a bed, and a door that led to a bathroom. Day after day, worker after worker for the B.P.R.D. tried to coax him out of his almost catatonic state, trying to pry him from his solitude for any response whatsoever.

That's all they wanted, these humans. One more specimen to study.

How he loathed them with his very being. How he internally raged at them, bringing him back from a slumber he'd never known in his entire life, thousands of years of existential being.

In death, he had seen his father, in that place where all souls go after death, that island where all beings could rest from all the weariness that Life chained them to. His father, who he loved no matter how twisted his mind became. His father embraced him as the son he had always been, and Nuada knew peace in that moment, the moment when he and his dearest sister could embrace their father and their mother in a quiet happiness. It was a moment when Nuada could breathe freely and forget.

That moment, that sweet moment of death, of rest, of peace, could not last.

How he screamed as he felt himself ripped away from his family, how he clawed the space around him, trying to reach them again. It was almost animalistic, this agony, and Nuada realized as he opened his eyes, gasping for air, blinking at the bright lights above him, the people that wore surgical masks and studied him, checking his vitals that he was no longer dead.

How he wanted to scream again, but his throat ached terribly, and he resigned himself to the cold metal of the table beneath him, the sheet that covered his modesty, the wires that seemed to number in the thousands attached to various points of his body, the whirring and beeping machines that surrounded him and told him things he didn't understand.

"Welcome back, Prince."

His golden eyes turned to the face above him, the masked face of the person who had granted him Life, had resurrected him from the dead. A brief moment passed in which the flicker of the thought of how Nuada could stand and declare himself that human religious figure and be given the undying affection of millions of fools around the world.

However that moment passed and another thought occurred to him, one which shocked him to his core. His sister, his dearest, most beloved, only sister, his other half, his best friend and worst enemy. Somehow, Nuada found the energy to move his lips, make his voice function.

"Nuala…"

The face above him, glanced up from a board of some sort, writing something, taking in details of his systems. The compassionate look in those eyes made the Elven Prince want to vomit.

"Oh yes, the Princess is already conscious. She's right over there – you two are linked in a biological way that is almost baffling. We had to resuscitate you at the same time, you know. She's been awake and functioning for about twenty-seven minutes."

Twenty-seven minutes. Nuada faintly remembered a time when they were children and their mother told them of their birth, how Nuala had arrived first, and he arrived exactly twenty-seven minutes after by human reckoning. Twins were highly unusual in the Elven Race, and no matter what the genders, were always similar in appearance. Not only that, but they were always linked, bonded in a special way that would never fade until a significant other was taken by both parties. Even then, the bond would last, although muted, for as long as the two were alive.

Nuada remembered this all, and damnit all, felt his eyes water up at the memory of their mother. He would be damned though before he let this human witness any sign of emotion from him.

"Brother…"

The voice shocked him back to reality.

"Subject B is experiencing shock expected to accompany life-resuscitation. All vital signs appear to be normal and state of mind is as expected."

The doctor droned on, apparently to other humans that stood nearby, also writing, also studying, but damn them all – he'd heard the sweet, lyrical voice of his sister, and despite the agony that accompanied the use of his previously-dead muscles, he turned his head to see the most beautifully horrifying sight he'd seen since awakening.

Nuala lay upon a surgical table, same as he, adjacent from himself by about three feet on his right, her own golden eyes turned to him, a smile curving her lips. She seemed to be in better condition than him, and she lifted a hand from her side to reach out for him.

It hurt like a thousand hells, but he managed to lift a hand, reaching out to take her hand in his own. She was warm, almost as if her warmth gave him life, and he felt the agony in the very marrow of his bones soften to a dull ache as he held her hand and let himself think for one moment that things might be okay.

"Subject B is also exhibiting signs of a fully functional central nervous system, as well as signs of a functioning peripheral nervous system at this time."

But Nuada didn't care; his sister was near, and to hell with these damnable doctors and such.

"Brother, we have been given another chance."

He let confusion fill him as she murmured this to him. Another chance?

Suddenly it occurred to him that the HUMANS had taken him from his finally peaceful slumber, that these humans had touched him, had given him life, had cruelly flouted every rule of Nature possible.

Releasing Nuala's hand, Nuada turned to look at the doctors that surrounded him even now, peering at him through eyes that did nothing but pry open Nature's secrets in the hopes of destroying them. The doctor that had greeted him upon his return to the living remained above him, and in that moment, Nuada remembered his instinct to kill.

And he acted on it.

It was a flash of pain, but the speed in which his left hand reached up to clutch the neck of the doctor was almost instantaneous, squeezing for all he was worth despite the pain.

The doctors scrambled upon each other in their haste to free the man in his grasp, and Nuada faintly registered Nuala's voice crying out, pleading with him to stop. At some point, another pain registered somewhere in his hip, the artery perhaps, and very quickly a numbness followed with it, rendering him immobile and the doctor free. The sedative had knocked him out, but could not still the rage that burned within.

Now, days, weeks later, who knew – Nuada let the memory imprint itself in his mind like a brand. These putrid humans, they did what they wished without and consideration for anything else. Nobody might have guessed that he wanted to stay dead? That he wanted to finally have some measure of peace? No, of course not!

It was their nature to tinker with life and death as if they were toys.

Nobody cared about the souls at stake.

Nuada glared down at his clothing – a white shirt and baggy grey pants, and white socks. The grey shoes lay in the other corner, unused – he had no intention of going anywhere. These disgusting human clothings – he would have ripped them from his body, but he had nothing else to wear. He had nothing but life now, something he didn't even want but would not take away from himself, for he was still linked to his sister. And she was glad to be alive again – he could sense that. He would not take that from her again.

But he would take some small pleasure in infuriating the little humans that came daily to attempt to garner some sort of reaction from him. He sat, day after day, statuesque, still as a rock in the deepest trench in the ocean. He remained in his solitude, and nothing could bring him out of it.

Except Nuala, of course.

She would come to him as well, and he would soften for her, let her embrace him and held her close, let her read his frustrations, his agonies, his despairs. Day after day, these humans tried to make him talk, but in the complete silence they shared, his beloved sister was the only one who _listened._

The day came, though, when Nuala spoke.

"Brother, we are leaving this place."

Nuada looked up at her, and through their bond was shown where they were to go, with whom they were to stay and why. He felt her joy at seeing the blue one again, but in his heart of hearts felt anger at how the situation revealed itself as little more than being taken from one hell and flung into another.

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A/N: Well that's that. ^_^ I'll have the new chapter up in a week or so, depending on how long I can hold out. I'm trying to go by an actual schedule of sorts, so that I have ample time to write and review and edit and all that jazz. So leave me stuff, review and all that good stuff. I really really prefer constructive criticisms a lot, but anything's good as long as you're not negative.

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One


	3. Dreaded Awaiting

A/N: A little late at night, I know, but I got it in ^_^ Yayness. Thanks for the reviews and favoriting and what not ^_^ Enjoy!

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"A third person, Liz? They're sending us a third person to babysit, and you said yes?"

"Red, it's not as bad as it may seem."

"Babe, are the hormones getting to you again?"

Under normal circumstances, Liz might have started to sizzle by then, but the thought of her babies, currently sleeping away inside of her, was a good way to quell her flames. Red paced back and forth in their bedroom, trying to massage his migraine away, not the easiest thing to do when one hand is several times the normal size it should be.

Liz, watching Red pace from her seat on the bed knew his frustrations were compounding in the light that their previous nemesis was to live with them for an undefined length of time, and a few months ago, she would have agreed with him and left the government to deal with their own mess.

But Elizabeth Sherman was a cunning woman, and she knew that to accept, to "rehabilitate" the two Elves would be that much more that the B.P.R.D. owed them, that much more incentive to leave them the hell alone if they didn't want the media of several world powers on their ass.

In all honesty, even now, she dreaded the moment that drew nearer, the moment when the twin Elves arrived on their doorstep to stay, and in truth, she would devote as much time as possible to the sister of the two, Nuala, as she remembered. The brief moments they'd shared together were always pleasant, and Liz remembered enjoying her company and a strange sort of sorrow at her passing.

The brother, Nuada, though, was another matter entirely.

He hated humans with every fiber of his being, and somehow, Liz, Red, and Abe were supposed to enlighten him on all the wonderful qualities humans did have left. No details were given as to how this job was supposed to be done. They weren't even completely sure why they had said yes in the first place.

Perhaps it had something to do with the nagging in the back of her head, telling her that this was supposed to happen.

She hated that nagging voice.

But at the moment, another problem had drawn Red's and Liz's attentions away from that matter, and towards the subject at hand – Liz had agreed to take on another person for "rehabilitation purposes" as the second agent had put it. This time, Red had not been present, and the equally awkward second agent had detailed the status of this third person's situation and status fairly well, and also agreed to provide compensation for the person's stay as well. She couldn't exactly figure what the compensation's real term should be – welfare? Social Security? Blackmail? God only knew.

Red continued to look through the file the agent had left them with, detailing the third person quite clearly. At least they had some sort of background for this one – in all honesty the first agent had pretty much left them with nothing on the Elven twins, probably because there wasn't much the government knew about them in the first place.

"Elena Porter… nineteen… Caucasian… ability… heard of that before, no big deal… strengths… weakness is multiple-enemy combat… Christ can this brat do anything? Notes…"

At this, Red stopped, his tail switching back and forth as if like a cat. Liz held back a smile – there wasn't a single thing she couldn't love about Red. The way his black shirt seemed to cling to him now like second skin, the way his black clothing seemed to give him a sort of rugged appearance, the way that he studied something intently. However, now was not the time to get caught up in her affection – she waited for a reaction in regards to one of the few notes about the girl in the file.

"Liz…"

"It's not like we'll be the ones paying for it."

"This… kid drinks a gallon of milk a day! She's five foot two, where does it go?"

"You read the rest of the file, you big ape, work it out."

The B.P.R.D. file listed Ability as heightened sensitivity to energy of organic life forms. To do that, one had to have heightened energy as well, energy which, being interwoven with the rest of the body, often relied on physical sustenance to be maintained. Many people had it – it was almost a generic ability, one that everyday people might refer to ESP. Frankly, Liz hated labels – they never seemed to get the things they described right.

"So she fuels her body by drinking a shitload of milk? You'd think it would turn her into a cow."

"Red…"

"Babe, you were supposed to laugh at that."

But in truth, she was, she was stifling a chuckle and Red could see it. Smiling, he came close, resting his right hand upon her stomach, skin warm as rising dough. She let her hand cover his as they held each other's gaze.

A knock at the door signaled the return of Abe from his daily swim, and Liz called out to let himself in. The blue amphibian entered the room but not too far, seeing the intimate moment being shared between the two.

"I can… come back later?"

"Nah, it's cool, Abe. What's up?"

Abe seemed to be wringing his webbed hands together, his head slightly bowed, his feet shuffling a little. No doubt his thought rested with Nuala, his affections for her, and his slight aversion of her over-protective brother. This knowledge reminded everyone of the situation at hand and the moment of calm was gone.

"They're going to be here in twenty minutes."

"I know, Abe."

"When is that other woman going to be here?"

"The agent said a couple weeks, so that we can get the twins settled in first. Here's the file."

Red handed Abe the file, who proceeded to look through it with more attention to detail and fine print. There was a faded picture of the subject in the top left corner of the page, out of date, but still fairly accurate enough that they would recognize her when she arrived. Abe studied the file quickly but thoroughly, looking over at Liz

"Ah, so is the B.P.R.D. sending her to help us keep an eye on the twins?"

"They said that she was here for "rehabilitation purposes" like the twins, but I have the feeling that she's probably going to be here as a sort of long-distance spy for the department. Why else would they send someone with that specific ability?"

"At least she won't be spying on us, right?"

"Here's to hoping."

Red replied with a light note of sarcasm – he still harbored ill will towards the B.P.R.D., mostly towards Manning. All the secrecy, all the need for data and information, all the secrets. He had been dying for the day when he would get away from it all, and now that he had, they somehow seemed to catch back up with him. His past had a bad habit of doing that, and he got the feeling that someday it was going to drive him nine different kinds of insane.

"Her previous affiliation with the B.P.R.D. doesn't look very extensive at all. I wonder why they're sending an untrained person to keep an eye on them."

Liz hadn't completely spoken her mind on the subject, mostly because she wasn't completely sure but a theory was forming in her mind, one that was uncommon, but not unheard of. The large red hand still remained on her belly, and she caressed it lightly as she thought. Port Angeles was a lovely little town, the people seeming to be accepting and kind, but none of the three of them had really taken any time to mingle with the town, to go past their own boundaries and doubts and coexist, and it had gotten a little lonely. Back at the B.P.R.D., there were at least other agents to lighten the despondency of the situation. Perhaps the arrival of the twins and this third person might help to open the boundaries and provide some measure of well-needed, albeit highly unorthodox and controversial, company? Perhaps the B.P.R.D. weren't as clueless as they all thought?

However, she had no time to consider it as the three jumped at the sound of a doorbell – their doorbell. Had twenty minutes really passed so quickly? Liz glanced over at the clock – 7:30, on time to the minute.

The brunette pyrokinetic looked up at the Son of the Fallen One, the two exchanging the confirmation of what they were about to do, and glanced over at Abe, who was glancing between them and the door that led to the stairs. The moment had arrived, and they could not prevent what would happen. Resigning themselves, Red helped Liz up from the bed and, with her hand in his, walked her and Abe down the stairs and around the corner to the front door which, Liz silently thanked God, had no window as most doors did. Prolong the dread of their old lives catching up with them.

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A/N: Revamped chapter. I remember now, I was looking up Kate Bosworth when I first wrote this chapter. _ I was very tired last night.

^_^ lalalalalareviewlalapleaselalalala

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One


	4. Burden

A/N: Fourth chapter-ness! ^_^ Thank you guys so much for the reviews and PMs. You really don't know how much it means and how much it motivates me to write. Feedback is like sunlight for me lol

mmkay. Enjoy ^_^

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Liz was, of course, the one to open the door, the light of the overcast sky filtering into the house. As much as she had been thinking about it, she still couldn't prevent the miniscule gasp that escaped her lips to see the Elven Twins standing on her front porch.

The difference between them was almost Night and Day – Nuala, dressed in a light blue dress that fell over a pair of cloth pants, something reminiscent of a sari, and black shoes that seemed in fairly good condition, stood tall and graceful as ever, a smile on her lips that made her almost resemble a Mona Lisa. Her pleasant face seemed to radiate an aura that made the air seem a little clearer, the breath in Liz's lungs a little lighter.

"Elizabeth!"

"Nuala!"

Awkward though it was over a pregnant belly, Liz embraced the Elven Princess, bonding to her almost instantly and known that they would be close. Nuala seemed surprised at first, but raised her hands to return the embrace with equal joy.

Pulling back, she smiled again at Nuala and let her gaze wander over to the brother that stood somewhat behind her, almost as if he were hiding somewhat, trying to avoid the inevitable situation. The happiness that had arisen in Liz seemed to quell somewhat when she looked at him.

Where Nuala was day, Nuada Silverlance was easily the blackest night, and no wonder. His clothing consisted of a long sleeved black shirt, black pants, and black boots. His skin almost glowed beneath such darkness, an eerie, ethereal shimmer surrounding him, even in the shadow-less light of the slowly dimming overcast sky that was almost typical of Washington State. If his clothing was dark, though, his expression was darker, a sullen glower that seemed barely concealed in his face, golden eyes turned a deep ochre that burned like the edges of a flame. Liz could easily tell that he had no desire to be here, and knew instantly that they had their work cut out for him if there was even any hope at all for the Elven Prince.

"Hello, Nuada."

"Elizabeth."

On his pale lips, it almost seemed a curse, and the dark-haired mother-to-be watched as his eyes glided over to where his sister was greeting Red and Abe with equal enthusiasm, and by the way Nuada's eyes seemed to narrow, Liz could tell that his glare was being matched with Red.

"Agent Sherman! Agents Hellboy and Sapien, we can't thank you enough for your cooperation!"

Behind Nuada, yet another nameless agent pushed forward, but he was different than the previous two. A little more noticeable, he had red hair and soft brown eyes, both of which stood out against his dark uniform. He held a couple of files in one hand, and a couple of suitcases in the other. Setting them down, he reached out to shake Liz's hand in greeting and in thanks.

Liz made no gesture to return the sentiment.

Somehow, this particular agent – O'Neal by the name on his lapel – managed to overlook her slight bout of hostility and followed as all members of the party moved inwards into the house. Naturally, Liz felt a slight twinge of guilt in response to her treatment of the agent who was just doing his job, and yet the memory of the B.P.R.D. seemed to just stoke her fiery temperament in just the wrong way.

Liz observed the group – Nuala was situated between Abe and Red as they showed her the interior of their home. One of the cats had somehow wandered inside, and Nuala had picked it up and was petting it as the three of them spoke and wandered through the house. No doubt she would be irresistibly drawn to the library that spanned most of half of the first floor apart from the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. After a moment, Liz turned back to face the agent, who had set the suitcases down and handed her two manila file envelopes.

"Agent Sherman, these files are for you, they are our more recent scientific and behavioral overviews of the twins, as well as office contacts should anything happen. The two suitcases are clothes we have provided them, for what that's worth. And –"

At this, the redheaded agent handed her a smaller white envelope.

"A debit card, with roughly ten-thousand US dollars in an account funded entirely by the B.P.R.D. Every time you make a transaction with it, the B.P.R.D. will renew the amount of money on the card so that you won't risk running out. This should cover all funds for the duration of their stay, as well as Ms. Porter's when she arrives."

"Oh yeah the third one."

There seemed to be something in Liz's tone that made the agent flinch. She should know – she made damn sure it was there. O'Neal recovered quickly, a sympathetic look in his eyes as he glanced down at her belly.

"We can never thank you enough for what you're doing for us."

Liz held up her hand, silencing him immediately.

"We're not doing it for you. We're doing it for them."

"That works just as well. Thank you nonetheless. If there are any further questions or concerns, just call us. The numbers are in the files."

"Whatever. Have a nice day."

With this, the agent realized that it was time to make a swift exit, and Liz sighed as he departed, not bothering to walk him to the door. Looking down at the files, she decided not to open them, wanting really nothing more than to just wash her hands of the situation.

"I am a burden."

Hearing Nuada speak so suddenly reminded Liz of his presence, and she looked over to see him, standing still as alabaster, his suspicious gaze fixed on her, waiting for some sort of strike. Liz attempted a smile, but it came out lop-sided – this was after all the man who had tried to destroy the entire human race.

"If you were a burden we wouldn't have agreed to let you stay with us. We would have told all of you to piss off."

"You're more than happy to have Nuala, but you still hate me."

"I never said that."

"It's just as well. I didn't want to be in the first place."

Liz was about to make a witty and equally snarky comeback, but seeing the look in his eyes as he looked away into some corner of the hall floor, his alabaster brow bent in just such a way, she understood what he really meant – he never wanted to live again in the first place, but here he was, standing in her front hall.

"You got a second chance. Almost everyone would give anything to have that."

"They would want it; they would know what to do with it. What do I do?"

Nuada looked back up at her, piercing her with burning amber eyes, eyes that she slowly realized were dimmed, desperate, agonized, and devoid of purpose. She hoped she never looked like him.

"You have to find a reason for yourself. Nobody else can do that for you."

The Elven Prince didn't respond, but instead seemed to absorb her words deeply; it seemed no one had made this truth known to him, and Liz couldn't help but feel a minor surge of pity. It was short-lived though, because Red, Abe, and Nuala had returned, and Red had firmly planted himself beside his wife, arms crossed, looking Nuada straight in the eye.

"So, elf-boy, you're going to be staying with us for a while. I'm sure you're just as thrilled with it as I am."

"Red…"

"Of course, Son of the Fallen One. I'm absolutely elated that I am completely at your mercy."

"Wonderful, we'll get along just fine then."

"Red…"

The tension between Red and the Prince was almost too thick to even cut with a knife, and seemed almost explosive. And yet, Liz could sense that both parties were holding back, albeit poorly, while in the presence of a woman with child, or children rather. It seemed that there was no end to the stare down in sight until Nuala stepped forward to Nuada, whispering something in Elven tongue. Whatever she said, nobody knew – well Abe probably knew since he was the brains of the group – but nonetheless it seemed to work, and Nuada seemed to visibly attempt to relax, which in turn caused Red to ease somewhat.

"I may not like the situation, but nonetheless I thank you for your hospitality and your willingness to help us during this time, especially in light of my recent actions."

Nuada seemed to half-choke on the words, but somehow, Liz figured that he was trying to be sincere, if only for the sake of his sister, whose gaze had wandered back to Abe. As much as the brunette wanted to turn and see the flustered look on the blue amphibian's face, now was not the time, and quietly, she nudged Red, who grunted in response.

"Eh… it's fine. Just don't set a thousand giant metal robots on my house, would you? It wasn't easy trying to find the right place."

Did she just see the corner of Nuada's lips twitch?

Suddenly a quiet, almost muffled growl sounded in the room, and Nuala gasped, holding her hand to her stomach. Nuada turned to her, an almost frantic look on his face as he attended to his sister, Abe rushing past to do the same. However, Nuala raised her head, smiling in an almost embarrassed manner, a light blush seeming to stain her white skin.

"Please forgive me… but it would seem that I'm hungry."

Liz tried very hard not to laugh. Red, however, did not, clapping his hands together once to play upon the humorous situation.

"Great! Not a problem! I'm hungry too, let's eat! You must be starving!"

That said, Red found it in himself to herd everyone towards the kitchen and dining room area, Liz in tow as moving with a big pregnant belly tended to delay one, but she liked it just as well, watching Red put his social skills to use, hoping he would distract them long enough while she threw something together, wondering what the hell elves ate anyway.

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A/N: Alrighty then, please review and stuff. I love constructive criticism but I'll take anything short of flames.

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One


	5. Encounter

A/N: *is too tired to do a proper A/N* Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it.

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Prince Nuada Silverlance, son of King Balor, rightful heir to the throne of the Elven Kingdom, quite simply, loved this chocolate frozen yogurt creation.

However, he was still Prince Nuada Silverlance, son of King Balor, and rightful heir to the throne of the Elven Kingdom. That being said, he couldn't very well just admit to his adoration of a human-made dish.

Two weeks into staying in the home of Elizabeth and Red (he'd adopted the term simply because there really wasn't much else to call him – Anung un Rama didn't have a very kind ring to it) and Abe, and the ivory prince already felt madness descending upon him. Try as he may to conceal it – for his princely nature and his affection for his sister would not allow him to be a bitter guest – he still couldn't keep the iciness of his nature from glimmering occasionally.

And yet, the night that he had arrived, when Elizabeth had prepared dinner, Red slipping into the kitchen to try and help and just as quickly slipping out when Liz told him to get out of the way, the broccoli-and-cheese casserole if he remembered correctly, he could not help but, in his heart of hearts, admit to the deliciousness of the almost aesthetically-hideous dish. Something about keeping her healthy for the babies – Nuada had only realized at the last moment that Elizabeth was pregnant, which was almost pitiful really as her robust belly was almost an instant clue to the state of her pregnancy.

And yet, when the frozen delicacy was spooned into several bowls, one of which was placed in front of him, when he tasted the succulent flavor that seemed to linger throughout all of his senses, the bliss that he felt was incredible, and no amount of royal blood or princely behavior could hold him back from scarfing the frozen yogurt down faster than a lion devouring its kill. Across the table, Abe had spoken up.

"Ah, Prince, you might not want to eat it so quickly…"

"No no no, Abe, I want to see what happens. Let him eat however he wants."

A brief flicker of a thought had crossed his mind that Red was, perhaps, allowing him to do as he chose to give him space, but when a horrible, seemingly-cold ache erupted in his forehead, and subsequently in Nuala's as well, Nuada had realized that the red one had not spoken out of goodwill.

"Oh dear, are you two okay?"

"What have you fools done to me?"

Abe had tried to explain to them that the pain was something referred to as a brain-freeze, and while it was completely harmless, the pain would linger for a little while before it would subside, and that in the future it could be avoided by eating the cold substance slowly. Nuada, however, had realized that there was a small amount of frozen yogurt in his bowl, and despite his pain, had devoured it, letting the taste melt on his tongue. By the gods and all things that were sacred, the succulent treat would not go to waste because of him, and in his agony, he had sullenly thanked his hosts for the meal, stood, and left the room, followed by Elizabeth who had apologized on behalf of Red and pointed him towards his sleeping quarters.

That had been roughly two weeks ago, and now he looked about his room, holding a bowl that yet again held the delicious frozen treat in one hand and a spoon in the other. He had developed a slight addiction to the delicacy, and somehow among the now rapidly increasing gallon jugs of milk in the back freezer/refrigerator, he never failed to find a stash of it somewhere in the back. He made a mental note to ask Nuala to thank Liz for him – he still wasn't very talkative with the rest of the tenants.

His room was unique to the others – essentially, it was the attic, insulated and generally remade into a large guest room accessed from the second-floor hall and walled, padded, and carpeted in such a way for privacy reasons both for the occupants of the attic and for the second floor. By the window that overlooked the woody plains and the road that led up to the house, two beds were placed adjacent from each other against each corner about ten feet from each other. On the other side of the room were two dressers, each with four drawers and placed in the same fashion as the beds. There wasn't much decoration or embellishment to this room, and Nuada liked it that way.

In the two weeks he had spent here, he hadn't really left his room much, outside of meals and visits to his sister, whether she was in her room or the library. Time spent with Nuala had been quieter as of late, as Nuala sensed a growing despair within her brother, and had little idea of how to relieve him of it. He had heard her in the halls when someone inquired about him, that he needed his space and time to put himself back together. In truth, though, Nuada wasn't sure if the pieces of himself that had fallen apart could ever be put back together.

The normally overcast sky today was, unusually, clearer today, with only a few clouds dotting the multicolored expanse in the light of the setting sun. Nuada sat in the window seat, his head against the glass, when a moving black spot caught his attention – a car was pulling up in the driveway, a large and oddly shaped case strapped to the roof of the vehicle. Two weeks ago he wouldn't have cared, but perhaps it was sheer boredom of trapping himself in his solitude that led him to let down the attic stairs, climb down, and creep through the halls and down the second stairs towards the front door. The doorbell rang, and Nuada waited wordlessly for someone to answer it.

No one came. The doorbell rang again.

"I'm kinda busy, could someone grab that?"

Elizabeth's request echoed into the hall and reached Nuada, and he figured that, since everyone else seemed to be unable to reach the door, he might as well do it himself. Quietly, the Elven Prince walked towards the door and twisted the knob…

… to be greeted with the large, oddly shaped black case he'd seen earlier. Perhaps the new guest was inside of it?

"Hey hang on a second, dropped my luggage."

A quiet laugh followed this declaration, the voice cheery and yet disconnected from the case, leading him to believe the visitor was not inside of it, but after a rustling sound, the case was pulled aside, and before him stood possibly one of the oddest humans he'd ever seen in his life.

She was much shorter than him – versus his height of about six feet even, she was roughly a good nine or ten inches shorter than him. She wore wrinkled, slightly oversized clothing – a long sleeved white shirt and denim pants that seemed faded and worn, and rather grubby tennis shoes that were hidden beneath the torn edges of her jeans. Her hair was short, a couple inches longer than Liz's so that it fell closer about her shoulders and was a dark brown, almost black hue, also a little messy, as if she had been sleeping on it. A few locks fell about her eyes – an olive shade. It was the eyes that he had found to be so odd; they were too bright, held too much emotion and too many words. And right now, they were focused on him, wide like a doe's gaze.

It was those eyes that were so odd, eyes that held too many words that froze the ones on his pale lips.

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A/N: *still too tired* Please review, my dears. 'Twould be fantabulous.

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One


	6. Introduction

A/N: So I'm posting this from California. Sorry I'm late, but now it's here. I'm thinking of switching to biweekly updates, so yeah. Hope everyone had fantastic holidays because mine was great and yet I did miss you guys. You're all wonderful and I can't thank you guys enough for your reviews. That said, here is my next chapter of Springs of Saturnia and say hello to the Original Character of this story. Thank you and enjoy.

When Elena Porter had rang the doorbell, she had expected either the Agent Hellboy or the Agent Sherman to be the one to open the door. She had briefly reviewed the files on all the occupants of the place she was informed that she would be staying at, but quickly tossed them aside. In truth, she wanted to learn about the people she would be coexisting with, but she wanted to learn it from them, as government files tended to leave many things to be desired. She looked forward to spending some time away from the confines of the Phoenix Branch of the B.P.R.D., and looked forward to meeting some of the greatest agents of their time.

She did not expect the most horrifyingly beautiful creature she'd ever encountered to be on the other side of the wooden door.

The short brunette had accidentally dropped her duffel bag from her shoulder while trying to haul her cello case to the porch, and after retrieving it promptly had the air knocked out of her lungs by the mere sight of this creature. Alabaster skin with scars and markings carved with the grace of Michelangelo, hair brighter than ivory and deep amber eyes that pierced her deeper than any knife ever could. He looked magnificent even in a black sweater and black pants and Elena felt an awareness of every point in her being, an awkwardness that seemed ingrained in her bones. In his hands was a bowl of some sort of frozen dairy product, a spoon settled inside of it, and even holding a bowl of a delicious looking frozen treat, he could have been a God immortalized in stone.

More than anything else though, was the dark wave of energy that radiated from him, making it hard for her to breathe. It wasn't an evil energy, it was just… sad.

"You… are the third person who the Bureau sent?"

"Ah… yeah, well… I'm, ah, Elena Porter. You're… neither Agents Hellboy nor Sherman."

"What was your first supposition?"

It was this brief exchange that allowed Elena to rearrange herself into a more socially stable being and regain her smile – she could identify with sarcasm, as well as a broad vocabulary. The energy in him seemed to retreat a little, and she took it as a good moment to respond.

"Well, you're not a woman, and you're not a giant red man. Ergo, you're one of the first two that the Bureau sent. Do you intend to leave me out in this weather? I smell rain for tonight. Don't you?"

There was only a moment in which she could focus more on the golden eyes that she tried desperately to internally shield herself from before she felt several other presences arriving. The pale man turned away, and she had a brief moment to breathe again when the aforementioned large red man and the woman, who by the look and feel of it was pregnant with twins, greeted her.

"Oh, you must be Elena Porter!"

"Ah… yes… yes, indeed I am, and you must be Elizabeth Sherman! I'm very glad to meet you."

And in truth, Elena was, finally getting to meet a person she found to be very admirable and couldn't help but look up to in some way. Well, really in more ways than one, as Elizabeth was a good several inches taller than her, a strange and yet warm energy radiating from her in quiet, flickering waves. From behind her, Hellboy stepped forward to give her a hard look, studying her thoroughly, his energy also fiery but not so muted, not so kept under wraps.

"You're that kid, huh? The one who drinks the craploads of milk?"

At this, Elena couldn't hold back a cheeky grin. Ah yes, he had gone immediately for one of her more odd qualities, and she was almost glad he did.

"Yes indeed. And you're the giant red agent saving the world one mystical crisis at a time?"

"Ex-agent, actually. This is just a one last time thing, and don't you forget it. And just call me Red, okay? Your alternative sounds great but a little wordy."

Already Elena took a liking to these two, her grin still plastered on her face. They were definitely quite the characters and she knew that just observing them in itself would provide more than enough entertainment alone, let alone interacting with them. A sound of tires crunching the gravel of the driveway made itself known, and Elena turned to notice that the car was leaving, the agent who had driven her here not even bothering to say a few words of gratitude to the gracious hosts.

"Jackasses."

"That's really just the Bureau for you, you know? Always a bunch of tightwads."

"You're not a tightwad."

"I just take pride in my oddities, that's all, Miss Elizabeth."

"Oh, God in heaven, please don't call me that. Liz works just fine. And anyway, you should get inside, it's getting cold with the evening."

With that, Elena nodded, still smiling, and carefully hauled her duffel bag and her cello case into the house. It didn't prove to be an easy task with the case containing her most prized possession, and elicited a strange look from Liz and a strange remark from Red, but all in all, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"We were just finished with dinner, but I can heat you some up if you're hungry. If I remember correctly, the Bureau never did get it right with food."

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you. Though I don't mean to impose, but would you happen to have any milk? I'm afraid I haven't had much today and it's leaving me a little drained."

"Oh, yeah. Almost forgot about that. Sure thing, head over here."

That being said, Elena followed Liz towards the kitchen, waiting on the sidelines as Liz dug through the refrigerator and pulled out an unopened gallon of whole milk, handing it over to the short brunette who, in turn, smiled a little wider if that was possible and bowed her head in thanks. What happened next was almost a little strange to watch, as Elena knew, proceeding to peel off the seal and drink straight from the jug, almost chugging it like ale. It was a good thirty to forty-five seconds before she stopped to breathe, and by then roughly a third of the jug was empty.

Allowing air back into her lungs, she sighed a contented sigh and thanked Liz again, who nodded in reply, the strange look having returned to her face. A cough sounded in the kitchen, and turning, Elena found herself facing two new faces, both different but sharing the same quality of extremity in the color spectrum.

"Er… hi?"

"Oh hey, Elena, this is Abraham Sapien, but we just call him Abe, and Princess Nuala. You ran into her brother at the front door."

Abe was… interesting, to say the least. He was dressed in little more than a pair of black short that fitted closely to his form. His skin was a light aqua blue that clashed with markings of dark blue and black all over his body. He had no hint of hair whatsoever, nor a nose, and his eyes were a dark black that almost had a reflective quality to them. He stared at her with a seemingly quizzical look, and his energy seemed to pulse differently than the other beings of the house, more like ripples as opposed to beats like the others. It almost had a quality of echo-locative properties, and she quickly picked up that he, similar to her, was very well attuned to the energies of organic life forms around him, and yet where she focused on energy signatures, she felt him tagging on to facts that seemed to be tied to her mind, her being.

That and the fact that his hand was suddenly six inches from her face.

"Elena Porter… You're nineteen, you finished schooling in the middle of your class… You have very little experience with the B.P.R.D. … You've been playing stringed instruments since you were four… Your wisdom teeth are going to erupt in about six months…"

But he stopped as she backed away slightly, tilting her head to see around the webbed fingers. Many parts of him were webbed – his hands, his feet, and his arms, and she found him to be a very interesting character.

"Nice to meet you too. I've never really had a knack for swimming, but I'll be you're fantastic with it. The telepathic tendencies are going to have to back off though unless for necessity, if it's not too much trouble, you know?"

"Oh, of course. So sorry, it's just that company is always a little unusual and I prefer to get a little acquainted in my own fashion."

"Sure thing. I don't mind. I understand completely."

And here, Elena smiled again, gesturing with her jug of milk. And as Abe stood aside, Elena faced the other person she had yet to meet, but was suddenly taken aback, a shocked look overcoming her features.

"Wait… so you're Nuala? Didn't I just see you at the front door?"

The woman, Nuala chuckled lightly, and when Elena stopped to think about it, she felt the pangs of foolishness overcome her. The person at the front door had been a man, a very formal and sober energy, where this woman, while almost identical in appearance, had an energy signature that practically lit up the room with her quiet brightness, dressed in a light blue dress and light blue house shoes. Her energy was a relieving one, and Elena could have sworn she could smell flowers and forest on her.

"No, that was my twin brother, and yes, I am Nuala. It is lovely to meet you, Elena. You seem like a kind person."

"So do you. I really look forward to getting to know everyone here. You all seem like really great people, and I can't thank you all enough for your hospitality."

Elena felt herself warming up to these people as they smiled at her, and suddenly she noticed the roundness that was Liz's belly. Immediately, she felt two small, still energies pulsing a little harder than before when she'd first noticed. One was decidedly a female signature, while the other was a quieter male note.

"Oh, you're having twins? Congratulations! Have you two thought of names yet? It's probably easier to name them since they're different genders – none of that weird same first letter oddness, right?"

Suddenly, Elena felt the energies of all the kitchen's current occupants still, a strange reaction to a simple question, and she realized that she had probably thrown them off a little by identifying the genders of the yet unborn children. Liz was quick to come back, though – after all, she'd known that Elena was sensitive of energy, and in truth, it wasn't much when compared to pyrokinesis or telepathic fishmen or like-minded Elven twins. And it was nothing to the fact that the son of the Fallen One was sitting in the living room, having been lured back by uncut Rurouni Kenshin and Kenshin's and Kaoru's antics.

"We still haven't completely decided on names yet, so we're not sure. We're waiting until the right moment, you know?"

"Oh, definitely, I completely understand. When the time is right, it'll come to you. And congratulations for the little ones, they're going to be absolutely adorable when they arrive. I absolutely adore babies."

Elena had to force herself from continuing her babbling – babies, even when unborn, had a certain effect on her. Nonetheless, she resisted going on, as a shout was heard from the living room.

"Abe! You've got to see this! He just cut a lamppost like butter! How much you wanna bet the Silver dude couldn't do that!"

A/N: Mmkay, then. You have now met Elena Porter, my OC. Please don't rip her up too much. That said, please leave me reviews, I'm lonely here in California lol.

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One


	7. Issues of Cohabitation

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, alerted, all that good stuff. Much much much appreciated ^_^ Enjoy.

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Nuada had retreated quickly back to the attic, closing the floor opening as quickly as possible. The addition of yet another person, a human at that, was almost nauseating. He hated people, human people even more so. Hated their smell and their imposing presence, their overbearing manner, their undeserved sense of superiority.

This girl, though, with her too bright eyes, with her strange aura, would probably be no different.

The way the little brat had stared at him had made him uncomfortable, and how he detested admitting it, even to himself. He wanted to think of her expression as scrutinizing, the way every other human seemed to look at him in first glace before following up with fear and misunderstanding.

The problem was that this strange girl did not follow up with anything. She didn't even seem to scrutinize him; rather, she seemed to just take his entire appearance in, frozen yogurt bowl and all.

Prince Nuada, SIlverlance, Son of King Balor, rightful heir to the Elven Kingdom, was never wrong; at least it seemed, not until now.

And he loathed being wrong.

The impending fury that coursed through his veins was why he had, after watching the girl set her things against the wall and be led away by Liz (Red had been distracted by that strange animation on the television), returned quickly to the attic and drew himself into the corner on his bed, gripping the black comforter to the point that it ripped a little.

Lost in his thoughts of how much he hated the race he was forced to coexist with, he didn't notice until the last moment the voices beneath the floor, slightly muffled by the carpeting.

"And, I guess we're probably going to put you up in the attic. It's been redone so that it can be a bedroom. Nuada stays up there too, if you don't mind sharing with him."

"If you don't mind me prying, why isn't his sister there with him?"

Nuada wondered the same as well – why had Nuala refused to stay close to him? At first the pale man had thought that it was because she wanted to be closer to Abe; after all, her room was adjacent from his on the first floor. But hearing Liz hesitate before answering some nonsense and hearing Nuala's purposeful silence on the other end of their connection, it occurred to him that his sister had duped him yet again.

Nuala had been told about the third person, and had refused to share a room with Nuada so he would have no choice but to be in close contact with whomever the third person was, in hopes that it would help him to break out of his so-called shell. What's more, she had hidden it from him by delving deeper into her relationship with Abe, letting it mute their connection even more.

_Clever, sister._

He tore his comforter a little more.

The floor door creaked open, light from the lower floor shining up onto the ceiling in a neat little square before being partially obscured by a person climbing the stairs. Knowing that the girl was entering the room, Nuada, still bitter, resolved to stare at the wall he leaned against until he found something fascinating about it, and then to stare some more.

He could hear her climbing up, dragging what sounded to be luggage with her. At some point, her baggage finally up the stairs, she stopped, and he could almost feel the weight of her stare on him, burning him like fire.

"So… you are Nuada? I met your sister downstairs, she's very kind."

"Open the window. Your human stench is stifling the air of this room."

He watched as the tentative, almost shy smile on her face froze, and he could have sworn he saw her lean back as if to lesson the blow of his scathing reply. But it didn't last, and she rearranged her smile into a scoff that might have matched his own, albeit incredibly watered down.

"Wish I could, but I get the feeling that you're supposed to stay within the house, and if I open the window, you might jump out. You'll have to forgive me."

"I won't forgive you."

"Fair enough."

The girl turned to her luggage, unpacking it and placing several articles of clothing in the yet unoccupied bureau of drawers on the other side of the room., opposite his own. This task soon completed, she dragged her duffel bag towards the bed several feet from him, unpacking a few books and other sentimental objects.

"I'm Elena, by the way."

"Good for you."

"So why are you here exactly?"

"Why do you care?"

With this the brunette turned to face him, a grin of almost sinister implications painting her face.

"Well with an attitude like yours, I may have to kill you in your sleep just to maintain my sanity, but I'd like to be polite and know your name before I smother you."

Nuada froze, fingering the butter knife he'd swiped earlier that week that lay beneath his sheets. Granted it was dull, but all the pointy and sharp objects seemed to be locked in a drawer he couldn't access. Safety precautions apparently, and for damn good reason. But it was only a moment before Elena laughed, an almost comically low and boyish giggle. Androgynous twit.

"I was joking, I promise. I just wanted to know if we're going to be roommates."

At this, Nuada couldn't take it anymore, and stood from the bed, walking towards the brat so that they stood a few feet apart. The pale man employed his height and his indignation to frighten her, lowering his voice both to ensure only she heard him and to further intimidate her.

"I assure you, we will not cohabitate for long if I have anything to do with it."

Previous to this, she had only been half-paying attention to him, at least it seemed. But now, Elena faced him, moving so that the space between them was only a few inches. Her short stature didn't make her intimidating in the least, but nonetheless, Elena smiled with almost a sort of amusement, no fear apparent in her face, her demeanor, those too-bright birdlike eyes.

"You think so?"

Before Nuada could act upon the impulse to strangle her then and there, she turned away and clambered onto her bed, chirping a good night and facing the wall to sleep, no interest in the comforter or sheets or proper night clothes.

The abdicated prince refused to let his emotions gain control of him again and returned to his own bed, pushing the thought of his new roommate away by attempting to contact his sister. Realizing she was now purposefully ignoring him, he quietly groaned. His own family rejected him now, and the wretched man fell asleep to the dreams of times without a Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, demon-spawn, and invasive humans.

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A/N: EDIT - belatedly and stupidly realized I had uploaded an old version of this chapter, and as such, the weirdness of her asking his name again was fixed by uploading the updated version that I found in the WRONG file -_- God I hate my idiocy with Mac sometimes.

Review, critique, stuff like that, please please. ^_^ Thank you very much.

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One


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